Beast
by Evienn
Summary: When it happens its nothing but agony, a roaring monster that wants nothing but his death and its release. All that stands in its way are two little gold bands. Its only a matter of time. - Drabble based on Sonic X Episode 73, what's it like for Shadow to use his powers without his limiter rings and the risk it holds?


_So this is a thing and I wrote it. :T_

_I wrote a few versions, mostly just how the overuse of Shadow's powers affected his body. I couldn't decide if I wanted it to be a "no energy so it shuts down" thing or a "so much energy he might explode" thing. I ended up settling on this but I wish I had saved the other version as well. Yes, I know, I'm a terrible fangirl. Its really just a drabble about my own thoughts on the character, and what I'm thinking might one day be Shadow's undoing. Might be good might not be. I know it gets a little rambley but I tried to rein it in. Sorry if I failed, I can't help being overly detailed I guess. :S_

Sonic X (c) SEGA, TMS Entertainment

Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat (c) SEGA

* * *

He doesn't even notice it at first, until a disturbing numbness spreads in his legs and his vision spots, that his limiter rings were tossed haphazardly on the ground instead of fixed on his wrists where they should be. He ran through his favorite stream of curse words in his head as the crippling exhaustion knocked him to his knees. Shadow was not sure what the vulgarity was directed at –the pain and exhaustion, the echidna that caused it or his own pathetic dependence on those _damn _rings – but releasing some frustration, even mentally, helped regardless. Then it flashes through him, blades in his spine, his neck. The Chaos Force, the source of all power and life, wants to be free.

He heard the quick tapping of heels before she spoke, shooting a few mental oaths at her out of spite, "I shouldn't have underestimated him. Managing to get the limiters off during all that, impressive." He decided to ignore Rouge, opting to focus on the more vital task of suppressing the power threatening to rip him apart from the inside out. He could feel his pulse pounding throughout his body, and couldn't help the horribly gruesome thought of his own heart exploding in his chest.

Shadow's body wasn't normal; using his powers with no protection, no way of keeping excess energy from escaping as he channeled it into use, used up more than his body could handle and instinctually he grasps at the Force, begging for the energy he needs and the Force replies. It senses his powers, the metal to its lighting, and surges. Then it all goes haywire; the very synapses in his brain misfire as he loses mobility and senses like hearing and sight start to fail. His heart gallops in his chest even as his lungs collapse. Everything inside him falls apart. Normally it drives him unconscious, cutting off the connection to the Chaos Force, tricking it into treating his still form as any other being in need of its power. It seeps his mind in its energy, none the wiser that this is the doorway it was steps away from breaking down. He can't afford that this time, he has a mission that cannot fail.

He pushes through the lingering tremors and forces himself to stand, muffling his wheezing breath and brushing aside Rouge's declaration of his stubbornness disguised as a compliment. It wasn't so hard to read her anymore; he could hear the pity in her voice as he swayed for a fraction of a second. The painful energy is controlled and his body calms itself. Like when your leg falls asleep and slowly regains feeling but on a bodily scale, pinpricks of pain and stiffness protested as Shadow as he took the few steps needed to collect his rings. They expanded and shrank to fit easily over his hand and nestle tightly on his wrist, the red guards reforming as they snapped into place with a flash. The relief was almost immediate. Soothing warmth spread along his arms, calming the raging nerves and encouraging his exhausted systems.

He left Rouge behind as the door slid shut; it didn't matter to him, she could take care of herself. Alone in the corridor he could let out a few desperate gasps as his lungs finished re-inflating. Shadow hesitates a moment before attempting to draw on the Force again, but the rings pulse gently and he knows, begrudgingly, they will keep him in check. He has to do this right away, assure himself of his strength, or he might hesitate when it really matters.

Energy crackles in his hand, warmth like a flame from his palm as he raises it. He throws the energy out, targeting a particularly annoying section of wall, and a perfectly constructed spear of pure energy blasts a hole through the metal. Unlike the surge this energy is regulated, controlled. A terrifying beast hooked to a reinforced collar and leash, ready to be led where its master wills it. Shadow couldn't stop a small smiler; he could only tame the beast for so long and, for it was grasped tightly in his hands, he felt the weaknesses in its chains. It was only a matter of time before the monster swallowed its master whole.

* * *

_Quick little note in case that was stupidly hard to follow. Skip this if you don't care, please. Its just some of my ideas about the Sonic Universe (head-canon)._

_I think of the Chaos Force (the force of energy in all things) as sentient in a way. It knows its trapped in this layered world, where its in Sonic's world but not really. It can feel Shadow's powers as a beacon, like the Chaos Emeralds, and uses him to try and force itself out into our world completely. Shadow would die long before the Force fully escaped into our world, but the resulting explosion of energy that made it would be devastating. Shadow was designed with fail-safes in the way his body channels energy and the limiter rings. His body filters energy and manipulates it, storing what he doesn't need for later use, and can lock down points of entry for the Force (as he does in the drabble) temporarily, think of it like chi points. The rings themselves prevent him from drawing too much and catching the Force's attention; it acts like a barrier, preventing the Force from sensing Shadow... Why yes I thought about this too much, I'm glad you noticed. :D_


End file.
